It seems like only yesterday that we were smack dab in the middle of trying to beat the heat of a record Texas
But now summer has slipped by us for another year and the weather has cooled down and some of us have even received some very welcomed precipitation. The grass has greened up, my Bradford Pear trees have decided it's March instead of November and they have set forth a colorful display of buds and blooms. But make no mistake, it’s the Thanksgiving season and I personally have been waiting all year for this day.
Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. But that is strictly because of substance and not meaning. The most meaningful would be Christmas. At Thanksgiving there are no worries about what presents to buy, no ugly sweaters to wear that Aunt Gladys thinks you look so good in or no nieces and nephews fighting over little Billy’s new G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip. No, it’s all about eating, visiting and enjoying the blessings of our lives.
As an eater I get my taste buds ramped up for Thanksgiving starting around October 1st. After all, when October hits, it’s less than two months until the ultimate feast. I have cranberry dreams of hot, juicy turkey, creamy gravy slathered all over my plate and loads of sage dressing piled high. My mouth begins to trickle with anticipation early on for those tempting treats of gastronomical delight.
When the day finally arrives and the guests start showing up, I’m anxiously awaiting the toll of the bell, or whenever Terri tells me to say the blessing. After all, I wear the pants in my house, but only after I’m finished with the laundry. So the call goes out, everyone gathers around and I ask everyone to bow their heads as we give thanks to Almighty God for the feast of abundance we are about to receive. After the blessing and the “amen”, it’s a mad dash for the kitchen to load up on the buffet of seasonal goodies. MMMmmm…there’s Terri’s roasted turkey stuffed with fruit, a wonderfully, moist sage dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and green beans and potatoes…oh yeah, there are plenty of potatoes. To go with all of those potatoes, there is creamy gravy, corn, rolls, sweet iced tea and a counter full of different pies, cakes and goodies. We all sit and eat non-stop as we visit at the table and talk of blessings and events of the past year.
Later on in the living room, while the family is staring glassy-eyed at the TV trying their best to fight off the Tryptophan groggies and watch as Americas team finds another way to lose, my nose picks up the scents wafting from the kitchen once again. Stuffed to the gullet already, my mind convinces me that it has just enough room for a hot roll, crammed full of turkey, sage dressing and that OH so yummy homemade cranberry sauce. So I sneak to the kitchen with those cranberry dreams playing vividly in my mind, only to find a line forming behind the partially dismembered turkey carcass. Gluttony...the only one of the seven deadly sins that is talked about openly in church or at home.
I pray that everyone has a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving Day and a very special and Merry Christmas. Seasons greetings to you all from La Puerta del Cielo in Egan , Texas
The Impulsive Texan
"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...
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